You can change the default browser on your iPhone, but you still can't change the default maps app—at least, not officially. This is annoying for those who prefer using something like Waze, which has superior traffic data and a slew of other features. If you get a navigation link in iMessage, it's going to open in Apple Maps, and if you find one in Google Search, it will open in Google Maps. But as it happens, there is a way to make any maps link in Safari open in the maps app of your choice.
This is possible thanks to a simple Safari extension called Map Redirect for Map Links. With this app setup, any link can open in Apple Maps, Google Maps, Waze, Bing Maps, or HERE WeGo Maps. If you like different maps apps for different purposes, you can set the extension up so it asks you which app to use every time.
How to set up the Map Redirect Safari extension
Start by downloading the Map Redirect for Map Links app from the App Store ($1.99). When you open the app, it will give you directions to set it up in Safari. To enable it, open Safari and tap Aa after opening a web page. Choose Manage Extensions at the top, and enable Map Redirect.
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Back in the Aa menu in Safari, tap Map Redirect to customize the app. Here, you can choose your target app, so any maps link opens in that app by default, or you can configure the extension to ask you each time to tap on a link. This is a good idea if, say, Apple Maps is your default, but you use Waze occasionally to check for traffic on longer routes. If you ever feel like switching default apps, you can jump back into these settings at any time.
If you've successfully moved away from X, you might have found a new home with Threads. But as the Threads network grows, you'll also find you won't want to see everything on your feed. Perhaps you're trying to avoid spoilers for your new favorite TV show, or you're trying to get away from the new meme that just won't die. Either way, you can now use Thread's Hidden Words feature to mute any keyword or emoji to banish them from your feed, once and for all—at least, from your feed.
How to mute words and emojis in Threads
Muting offensive words or annoying phrases takes a couple of seconds. Here's how it works:
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Open the Threads app, and go to your Profile.
Click the Globe icon in the top-left corner to open Privacy settings.
Here, choose Hidden Words.
From the Custom words and phrases section, make sure the feature is enabled. Then, tap Manage custom words and phrases.
Now, add any word, phrase, or emoji in the text field, and tap Add. You can add multiple words or emojis you want to block, each separated by a comma.
Credit: Khamosh Pathak
Now, hit Back to go back to the Hidden Words page. You can return to this page at any time to add more words to the blocked list. If you want to unmute a word, go back to the Hidden Words section, choose the Manage custom words and phrases option, swipe on a muted word, and tap the Delete button.
Also on this page, you'll notice an Offensive words and phrases section enabled by default. With this feature, any replies to your posts that contain offensive words or phrases will be automatically filtered to the bottom of your posts in a covered "Hidden replies" section. You won't need to see them on your profile, nor will they show up on your feed, but they will be visible by anyone who wants to see them. If you don't like this feature, you can disable it from the Hidden Words section, which will allow these replies to come through.
One of the Apple ecosystem's core philosophies is that all Apple devices should work well together. Perhaps the feature that captures that spirit best is Universal Control. With it, you can use the keyboard and mouse on your Mac to control an iPad or a second Mac. On top of that, you can drag and drop files, Safari tabs, and more between machines without the need for AirDrop.
If you use your iPad along with your Mac at your workstation, you really should be using Universal Control. It can even be paired with Sidecar, Apple’s feature that turns your iPad into a touch-less second monitor.
Setting your iPad up for Universal Control
Universal Control is available to all macOS devices running macOS 12.3 (macOS Monterey) and all iPads running iPadOS 15.4 and higher. Hardware wise, every MacBook Pro released after 2016 and MacBook Air released after 2018 will work. Most new Macs from the last 5 years are supported. All models of iPad Pros work, and every iPad starting from the 6th generation, as well as every iPad Air from the 3rd generation on, will work here.
The software side requires a bit of a setup. Both devices need to be signed in from the same Apple ID, and you need to use two-factor authentication. You’ll also have to enable Bluetooth, wifi, and Handoff on your iPad. To enable Handoff, go to Settings > General > Airplay & Handoff > Handoff.
To enable Universal Control on your iPad, go to Settings > General > AirPlay & Handoff and enable the Cursor and Keyboard option. On your Mac, go to System Settings > Displays > Advanced and enable the “Allow your pointer and keyboard to move between any nearby Mac or iPad” feature.
How to use Universal Control with multiple devices
After you set up Universal Control once, just push your cursor to the left or right edge of the screen, towards where the iPad is placed, and your Mac will automatically pick up its location. It's pretty cool.
Credit: Apple
As you push the cursor towards the iPad, you’ll see a bar appear on the edge of the display. Keep pushing through, and the mouse will turn into an iPad cursor. Voilà: You've just enabled Universal Control.
If you don’t like this pushing gesture, you can also enable Universal Control from Control Center. Expand the Displays menu, and from the Link keyboard and mouse to section, choose your iPad.
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Your Mac should automatically pick up where your iPad is placed next to your Mac, but if it’s placed above or below your computer screen, you’ll need to change the setup manually. Go to System Settings > Displays. Click the Arrange button to drag your iPad's screen to match where it is physically. Press Done to go back.
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If you have a second Mac that you want to use this way, let’s say an iMac that’s on your desk, you can follow the same instructions above, this time just picking your second Mac instead of your iPad.
The magic of drag and drop
Now that it’s all set up, you can move your cursor to your iPad, where you can click on buttons and select fields like you would if the mouse was directly paired with the iPad. This works with your keyboard too. All you need to do select a text field on your iPad and type with your Mac keyboard.
Drag and drop works well here. You can select files or photos from your iPad, drag it over to your Mac screen, and drop them in a Finder folder to copy them over. The same works the other way around, too.
It's no secret that Apple products work well with one another. But you might not know you can actually turn your iPad into a high-quality secondary display for your Mac. Whether you have a desktop setup, or you’re traveling, you can use your iPad as a wireless display to showcase any app from your computer. It’s as easy as screen mirroring your Mac to your TV, thanks to a relatively hidden macOS feature called Sidecar.
What you need to use your iPad as a display
First, the requirements. You’ll need a Mac running macOS Catalina or higher, and an iPad running iPadOS 13 or higher. There are some hardware restrictions as well, though every MacBook Pro released after 2016, and MacBook Air released after 2018 will work. In general, the latest Macs from the last 5 years are supported. The same goes for the iPads as well. All models of iPad Pros work, and every iPad 6th generation and newer, as well as iPad Air 3rd generation and newer will work here.
Still, you might need to do some work on the software side. First, both devices have to be signed in from the same Apple ID, and you have to use two-factor authentication. To use this feature wirelessly, you have to enable Bluetooth, wifi, and Handoff on your iPad. To enable Handoff, go to Settings > General > Airplay & Handoff > Handoff. If you’re using tethering on your iPad or your Mac, this feature won’t work.
How to connect your iPad as a second display to your Mac
Now that the housekeeping is done, you can set up your iPad as a secondary display. First, place the iPad next to the Mac, turn on the display, and unlock it.
Next, go to Control Center on your Mac, click Screen Mirroring, and choose your iPad from the list.
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To use it as a secondary monitor, make sure you choose the Use As Separate Display option. You’ll notice your iPad will instantly show your Mac’s screen, including the menu bar, and some apps might even move to the iPad screen. To help you out, the iPad can show a sidebar, plus touch bar controls that are useful if you’re using the iPad away from your Mac. If you want more screen space for your Mac apps, we suggest disabling both the sidebar and the touch bar. You can do this on your Mac under System Settings > Displays.
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The above instructions will work if you’re using macOS Monterey and higher. If you’re using macOS Big Sur, you’ll find the mirroring menu in Control Center's Display section.
Lastly, make sure how you’ve placed your iPad in physical space aligns with how your macOS software is set up. If you’ve ever attached an external monitor to your Mac, and tried to use it next to your MacBook, you’ll be familiar with this.
Essentially, you can tell macOS that your iPad sits on the left or right of the Mac so that your cursor can seamlessly move from one screen to another. To do this, go to System Settings > Displays. Here, you’ll see the current arrangement of your displays. If the default option works for you, then you don't need to do anything.
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If you want to move your iPad screen position, click the Arrange button, freely drag the iPad screen to where it is in your physical space, and click the Done button.
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Everything you can do with your iPad as a second display
Credit: Khamosh Pathak
Now that you're all set up, you can freely move your cursor between your Mac display and your iPad, and you can use the iPad like it's any other external display. This is similar to Apple’s other feature, Universal Control, where you can use the keyboard and mouse on your Mac with a connected iPad. The crucial difference with Sidecar, however, is that your Mac screen is also extended to the iPad. With Universal Control, your iPad still displays iPadOS.
Credit: Khamosh Pathak
If you don’t like dragging and dropping windows between the Mac and the iPad, there’s a shortcut for you. Hover over the Maximize button on any macOS window, and you’ll see an option to move the window to the iPad. I like using this option because it automatically resizes the window to take up the full iPad display.
This feature does disables the touch screen on your iPad, so it's not the touch screen Mac of your dreams. That said, Sidecar does support Apple Pencil. You can use your Pencil to draw on the screen, and you can even go to System Settings > Displays to enable the double-tap feature on the Apple Pencil, which lets you make selections on your iPad.
Microsoft now bundles its Office products in the Microsoft 365 subscription. The Microsoft 365 Personal bundle comes with access to all Office programs, plus 1TB storage space in OneDrive. But it also costs $69.99 per year for individuals, and $100 for the Family plan. And now, Microsoft has a new plan called Microsoft 365 Basic, which provides access to all Office apps, plus 100GB OneDrive storage, for $1.99/month or $19.99/year, which is a step in the right direction.
But what if you don’t want to pay for Office at all? What if you only use it sporadically, or can’t afford a subscription? There are a couple of legit ways to access Microsoft Office apps like PowerPoint, Word, and Excel for free.
Microsoft 365 Education is free for students and teachers
If you’re a student or teacher, Microsoft will provide the entire suite to you for free, including Teams and classroom tools, as long as you are a part of an eligible institution. All you need is to enter your school’s official email address on the Microsoft Office Education page to get started. If your domain is verified, you’ll be granted access to Office tools using an automated authentication process. But if your institution still needs to be verified, it might take up to a month to complete the account setup.
There are some caveats here, and Microsoft isn’t overly clear how everything works. If your school is eligible, you should be good to go. However, it appears it’s possible you’ll only be eligible for the free Office web app, in addition to Microsoft Teams and OneDrive. In other cases, your school might not be eligible for any of it.
In those cases, Microsoft offers a discounted rate of $2.99 per month for all college students with a valid college email address. That subscription includes all Office products, along with 1TB OneDrive storage space, something you’d normally have to spend $6.99 per month for.
How to use Office apps online for free
If you’re not a student, you can still access Microsoft Office apps like Word, Excel, PowerPoint, OneDrive, Outlook, Calendar, My Content, Skype, Designer and Clipchamp for free.
First, go to the Microsoft 365 website. Here, click the Sign up for the free version of Office button if this is the first time you're using a Microsoft product. If you already have a Microsoft account, click the Sign in button instead.
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This will open up the Microsoft 365 online portal, with handy options for creating a new Word document, PowerPoint presentation, Excel workbook, and more. You can click any of the buttons to get started.
Credit: Khamosh Pathak
Then, choose the app you would like to work with, and it will open up instantly. All your work will be saved automatically in your OneDrive account.
Credit: Khamosh Pathak
While these Office apps are truly free, there is one catch: They aren’t the full-fledged desktop version that you’re used to. You only have access to the web app version of each app, but that isn’t necessarily bad. These web apps are solid, and sport the most important features for each app, so you’ll be able to get all of your regular work done in these apps. In fact, collaboration features are still available here. The downside, of course, is that they only work in the browser, so you’ll need an active internet connection.
If you need desktop Office apps, you can always get a one-month free trial of Microsoft 365 by entering your credit card details. Just make sure to cancel the subscription before you’re charged.
Alternatives to Microsoft Office
If you find the online version of Microsoft Office to be limiting, or just finicky, there are other free options out there.
Google Workspace
While Google Workspace is completely online, it can serve as a full-fledged replacement for Microsoft Office, for free. All features for creating documents, spreadsheets, and presentations are available online, with superior collaboration features. What Google Workspace lacks in features, it can make up with its add-ons and APIs, where third-party developers offer up additional functionality on top of the basic features.
FreeOffice
If you miss the old days of Microsoft Office, the one where you bought a software, and it stayed the same for years at an end, working consistently, you might like FreeOffice. FreeOffice can open all your Microsoft Office files, for free, and the interface is quite closely aligned with Microsoft Office apps. It's not going to be as feature-rich as Microsoft 365, but if you want a straightforward and compatible suite of apps for personal and work use, FreeOffice might be it.
LibreOffice
LibreOffice is open-source, developed by the community, and completely free to use. It supports a wide variety of Office formats. Because it's open-source, it has an active community that keeps updating the app, making sure it runs smoothly as new versions of Windows and macOS ship.
LibreOffice has a customizable interface. This is its biggest strength—and also a downside. If you love tweaking apps and UI, you'll enjoy setting up LibreOffice just the way you want. But if you're the kind of person that likes a plug-and-play kind of experience, the interface itself might be an annoyance. In that case, we would suggest you use FreeOffice, or the next option on the list.
Apache OpenOffice
Think of OpenOffice as a more mature cousin of LibreOffice. It too is open-source, and has a long-standing reputation in the industry. But it has a much slower development cycle, with fewer add-on features. OpenOffice gets the basics right, and sticks to it. If you want a more traditional office suite experience, with the knowledge that's supported by an open-source community, Apache OpenOffice is a good choice for you.
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